Reaping Realms

The Kingdom of Torn

The Kingdom of Torn once spanned all the land south of the Bone Sea, and some say even the Bone Sea itself was once a part of this vast empire. Torn is all that remains of a Creator kingdom that ruled most of the Realms, before the last Reaping shattered their power and the tide of battle shifted once again. None can recall the details, as most of the history has been lost to the Furnace and the Bone Sea.

They remain a proud people though they live in perpetual conflict, trying to hold their own against the daemonic forces that rise up from the rifts in the Underworld. The Shattered Coast houses nine cities; all the Creator cities left south of the Razorpeaks, and each of them is under siege for years at a time. Most have fled Torn for the Empire, though, as most are Tieflings, they find little refuge there.

While it is called a Kingdom, Torn has no King. Through treaty it has technically become an allied state to the Empire, and some consider it to be part of the Empire’s lands, but the Emperor does not rule there. Instead, each of the nine cities of Torn has a Prince, and each Prince holds a court. From this court, all justice, all law, and all order flows. There is no time for anything else.

The larger cities’ courts look like army tents most of the time. The people of Torn that remain are battle-hardened and brutally stubborn. Every citizen, regardless of gender or caste, is taught to fight at the age of eight. When there is a siege, every citizen from the age of fourteen and up is called to battle if they are able. In such times, Imperial merchants have recorded the puzzling sight of streets occupied by nothing but children, and negotiating prices with boys barely able see over the table. It is a curious, and grim, experience.

They hold their own faith, but it is unlike any other that exists in the world. The Tornish, as a whole, are Atheists. It makes religious communion with them both difficult and depressing. But then, that basically describes the Kingdom of Torn as a whole, so most find it a fitting, if disappointing, match.